About BiblioPolit

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

I am involved in politics myself, so when I see pastors standing up for what is right from the pulpit, even to the point of assisting their members with who to vote for, then I am really happy.

For too long the church has been involved in every area of life, and speaking out in every area of life, but leaving the political realm alone as if it is infected with HIV/AIDS.

However, sometimes even pastors are a bit blinded by the political parties they have always supported.

Just recently, 33 pastors in 22 states in the U.S. made pointed recommendations about political candidates they supported. These pastors were organised by the Alliance Defence Fund from Arizona to do so.

In an article by the Christian Post concerning this effort, it became clear to me that this drive by the ADF and these pastors was more to support the Republican Party and decrying the Democratic Party.

To me, this whole move is a perpetuation of the two-party myth in American politics. For too long now, America has been divided according Republican/Democratic lines. And the voters, it seems, have been too comfortable in this divide to bother even finding out whether there are other parties on the U.S. political landscape.This myth, in my opinion, have been driven by the mainstream media (MSM). Have there been any debates, in recent memory, to which any of the other party candidates have been invited to?

Other American political parties? Yes! If you could take a guess, how many political parties do you think there are in the U.S.? Many would say 2. Some may even say 5 or 6. Maybe 10, or even 20? You would still be wrong! There are at least 50 political parties in the U.S.! I bet you didn't know that!

Admittedly, most of these parties are cuckoo parties run by a bunch of crazies, but they are political parties nonetheless. The point here is, American politics does not consist of only two parties, Republican and Democratic!The MSM and groups like the ADF, together with the pastors mentioned above, are doing the American public a great disservice by perpetuating the two-party myth. There are other parties and other candidates apart from McCain/Palin and Obama/Biden!

In my opinion, the Obama/Biden pairing is probably the greatest and most unheralded disaster-in-waiting that the American public has ever faced. On the other hand, McCain is a neocon and is only slightly right of the Democrats. That is simply not good enough for the U.S. The only reason McCain might win in the coming elections is because of his running mate, Sarah Palin. Conservatives love her and it seems that she is also truly Christian and conservative.

In my opinion, a better bet would be Chuck Baldwin, from the Constitution Party. He is a Christian with true conservtive values, holding to a proper Biblical worldview, underscoring the constitutional base that the U.S. was founded upon.

I wonder if the pastors mentioned above aren't thinking like many here in South Africa. Their votes are not really based on principle, only on perceived principle. It is more a case of wanting a strong opposition. That means, they would leave space for all kinds of bad politics, just to have strong oppoition to a perceived threat. With that, all principles fly out of the window and they keep on voting for the status quo.

The Republican Party is no longer the party of yesteryear. It used to stand for true conservatism and small government. Now, it has become a behemoth wanting a government of control. In this regard it has become what it has fought for so long... the Democratic behemoth, that stands for big government and total control. To both these parties, the Constitution has become meaningless. Even the "conservative" president George W. Bush has run roughshod over the Constitution.

True change for America can only come if people are made aware of other parties, and the leaders of those parties could have a proper platform from which to declare their ideals. Then, men like Chuck Baldwin could have a chance of bringing change to the U.S.

Pastors, should especially make themselves aware of other options, apart from the status quo. They need to speak from a truly Biblical worldview, and make their people aware of better options.

America simply cannot heal while being run by either a Republican or a Democrat.